Best craft beer bars in Palma for beer lovers
Since moving to the outskirts of Palma last year, I have made it my mission to search for the best craft beer bars in Palma. With my background growing up in the family brewing and pub business, I know what makes a great beer and pub. Over the years, I have developed a passion for quality drinks, great beer, artisan spirits, cider, and wines, and what it takes to run a great venue.
Unlike in the UK, in most bars, you’re limited to the one draft beer available, usually a lager, which isn’t enough for those who love beer.
So here’s, in my view, the best craft beer bars and breweries Palma has to offer. Several new brew bars have opened in recent years as the European craft beer scene starts to gather pace, with many brewing their own craft beers onsite. So, if you know where to look, there is a little more choice than just the one-draught beer!
Breweries
Palma has more than its fair share of breweries for a city of its size; bolstered by the recent additions, it does smash the myth that all you will find in Spain are your large-scale produced lagers.
Adalt Brew Bar
Founded by three friends who started home brewing as a hobby in 2012. This is not an unusual path, but in their case, they stepped it up a notch when Sebastian, one of the founders, attended a brew school in Germany in the summer of 2016. This later led to the founding of Adalt in 2018. They started slowly setting up in La Soledad, building a reputation on the island by hosting private events for friends and family to try their beers. These beer fiestas built their confidence, as their friends and colleagues didn’t just drink the beers but loved them. It was then they knew they had a product that could be marketed.
So, in 2019, they moved to their current location with the brewing kit on full display. The branding is cool, and they work with local artists to design their branding and craft cans to help enhance the community vibe.
The venue has a clean, modern, industrial vibe, with the brew kit the main focal point as it should be—a great place to enjoy working your way through their beers.
When it comes to beer, they are the top-rated brewery in Mallorca in terms of UNTAPPD, which has long been the best brewery rating metric. At 3.76 out of 5, it has a solid rating, putting it in the company of some of the best UK craft brewers. Of course, beer is so subjective, and it could be skewed as the craft beer scene is still in its infancy in Europe and on the island, limiting the availability of other craft beers the world has to offer, but nonetheless, it’s a good yardstick.
During my couple of visits, I tried an array of their beers, all of which I found to be well-balanced, not overly carbonated or excessively hopped. Still with plenty of flavor, although a couple could have done with a little more body. They offered tasting boards, which is always a winner. I sampled the following beers:
Beers
Little Joy 4.7% Hazy Pale ale – Enjoyable but could have benefited from a little more body.
Pilsner 5% – Their take on a Czech Pilsner, very enjoyable lightly carbonated, clean and crisp.
NEIPA 6.4% – Brewed with Citra & Mosaic, which is always a great start. This is an excellent example of a fantastic beer style and my favorite of their beers.
DOPPLER 6.3% – Brewed with Citra, Idaho 7 & Mosaic, a well-balanced and enjoyable beer.
IPA 03 7.5% – Brewed with Simcoe, Cenntinial & Citra again well balanced packed with great hop flavours, a must try!
Amber 6% – Brewed with Cascade & Simcoe, my least favorite of the beers. It’s an enjoyable American-style lager but a little lacking in body for me, if I’m being critical.
C/ de l’Arxiduc Lluís Salvador, 40, Nord, 07004 Palma, Illes Balears
La Velo Brewery
This proves the adage that good people drink and brew good beer! I have visited La Velo several times, and it was great to meet the founders, Carlos & Sabastino. They have created an excellent craft brew bar in the heart of Palma. Its superb branding and cycling theme make it the perfect fit for the funky Santa Catalina district! It opened in July 2022 and has built a substantial following since. It has been busy on all my visits, which is great to see!
As is often the case, Carlos & Sabastino were keen home brewers before they met on a brewing course in Italy. Before that, Carlos had enhanced his love of beer living eight years in London before a 9-year stint in Italy where they both enrolled on the Master Brewers course, and as they say, the rest is history.
When it comes to brew ideals, it was two brewing souls meeting, sharing the same brewing ethos. A love of traditional styles, Pilsners, Double Bocks, Brown ales, and a celebration of the new, candy sours, NEIPA, and Hazy IPA’s is all about great beer with good balance, and their range reflects that.
It’s as much about what’s fun for the brewers as anything, so they only regularly brew the Pilsner; every other beer is a one-off; they always have 4 IPAs, but once it’s gone, it’s gone; from my experience, excited brewers loving what they do only has excellent results!
The venue has a relaxed vibe, again quite minimalist and clean design. It is a great place to enjoy their array of beers, combined with a cracking street food-influenced menu. The brew house is on display for all to see, as it should be in any brewpub.
Regarding beer, they have a strong rating on UNTAPPD at 3.58 out of 5. Still strong in the highly competitive beer market, especially considering they constantly change their beers. Undoubtedly, they have created a fantastic brew bar, with an array of 10 craft beers always on TAP. On my latest visit, seven were brewed in-house, and the others sourced craft offerings. Unfortunately, they don’t offer a tasting board, but it didn’t stop us from working our way through the range.
Beers
Saaztisfer Pilsner 5% – The only permanently brewed beer. Brewed with the Saaz hops for a classic lager with a mellow finish as any good lager should.
Rauch 5.6% – Tostada beer brewed with the Saaz hop, a lovely amber in color with those warming, malty flavors.
Back to Black Schwarz 5.8% – A Black lager with a well-balanced combination of malts, malty on the nose with a good body, smooth and brilliantly Moorish, an exciting beer brewed with the German Saphir hop, certainly one of my favorites that I couldn’t put down.
Hazy IPA 7% – My favorite of the pales, a bit hazy and fruity IPA. Well balanced with enough body to support but not overpower the fruity, hoppy flavors. It is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and a Yakima secret blend of hops, and it is the first beer I have tried with Sauvignon grape powder used to make the wine.
Snooper West Coast IPA 6.7% – Another big hoppy IPA brewed with a favorite hop of mine, Amarillo, packs a punch with high Alpha bittering hops, perfect for those looking for a hop bite to their beers.
Velocity NE DIPA 8% – Double dry hopped New England IPA brewed with Citra, Cashmere & Mosaic. The low alpha bittering hop makes this Moorish with a fruity and sweet aftertaste, as the retained sugars come through on the finish. It is a lovely and dangerous beer at 8%
Candy Sour (ACIDA) – Brewed Saaz. All I can say is, wow, a bright red beer that tasted like Vimto on steroids. Bear in mind that when you visit, all these beers, apart from the Pilsner, will likely be different. But it should give an idea of the cross-section of the quality of beer produced. They are also starting to collaborate with other Spanish breweries, including a couple in neighboring Barcelona. As you can tell from my review it is well worth a visit. The food had an authentic street food vibe, a perfect combination, and looked great!
Carrer de la Indústria, 23, Ponent, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears
Lowther Brewery & Taproom
With origins in the Patagonia region of Argentina, Lowther, the original brewpub on the island, has been brewing beers for over 15 years.
The venue has an authentic brown bar feel with natural woods and benches. Although the brewery is not front and center here, it is housed behind the bar, and I was given a sneak peek of the small but well-formed plant.
When it comes to beer, they have the lowest of the three Palma breweries at 3.47 on UNTAPPD, but this is still a decent score.
Beers
HONEY 4.6% – A fantastic blonde honey beer using organic local Mallorca honey. The honey makes the beer Moorish and has a smooth, sweet aftertaste. My favorite of their beers, I’m a sucker for honey beer!
American Pale Ale 4.5% – Benefiting from the additional body to balance off against the low bitterness fruity hop flavor you would expect in an APA.
PALE ALE 4.5% – A light pale ale with a subtle fruity flavor. A little too gentle malt flavour for me as it lacked body.
AMERICAN AMBER 4.8% – Deep amber in color, with toasted malt flavors offset by the fruity American hops.
CREAM STOUT 5% – Dark beer in color with some toasted malts and coffee flavors, although I do like to see my Dark beers fuller in the body.
IPA 5.6% – A West Coast IPA with some big fruity hop flavors. Brewed with Citra, Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe, it’s always a good lineup in any beer, with a more significant body and some residual sugars from the increased ABV.
NEW ENGLAND IPA 6.5% – The classic NEIPA packs a punch with big tropical and stone fruit flavors. Offset by a solid body for a fruity and sweet finish—a favorite style of mine.
Carrer de Joan Crespí, 53, Ponent, 07014 Palma, Illes Balears
Toutatis
Although the beer is not brewed in this Palma location, this is the only Belgian beer brewed in Mallorca. Michel Campioni, a Belgian architect, settled in Mallorca, renovating a former winery to create a stunning brewery in Cami Son Boi, Sencelles. He next worked with Master Belgium brewers to develop his recipes to produce authentic Belgian beers right here in Mallorca.
Equally, this venue is a stunning cellar bar with a relaxed Belgian beer hall vibe, offering a selection of beers alongside other classic Belgian beers.
Regarding beer, they have a strong rating on UNTAPPD at 3.39 out of 5. However, it must be remembered that Belgian beers are a little more niche, which could equate to some of their lower scores. On our visit, the following beers were available from Toutais:
Beers
The Blonde 7% – A classic Belgium beer for me. Unlike the pale ale and lager blondes, it has a subtle sweetness and fruit, with the unmistakable Belgium yeasty flavor.
La Blanche 6% – A cloudy wheat beer, with complex flavours of orange peel, jasmine & coriander
Both were good examples of Belgium style beers with the unmistakable strength, residual sweetness and yeasty profile.
Plaça de Santa Magdalena, 4a, Centre, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears
Tramuntana
There is less Brewpub focus here and more of a cool rock bar and dedicated beer shrine. There is no brew kit on display here, but they have a couple of their own beers available in the 16 beers they have on tap. Plus, there is a vast array of bottled beers and cans of more than 120 beers from around the world.
They had two of their own available on our visit
Beers
Tramuntana Pilsen Lager 5% – A light straw-coloured and lightly carbonated, session-able pilsner. With a mellow aftertaste from allowing the beer to lager
Tramuntana Viernes 13 Red IPA 7.5% – A favorite style and a good example. Moorish, well balanced with a red hew. It is lightly carbonated with a fruity finish.
Definitely, well worth a stop for any beer lover.
Carrer de Caro, 14, Ponent, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears
Pubs & Bars
Atomic Garden
A cracking rock music bar, in the heart of Santa Catalina. With a fun vibe, great range of craft beers including an Adalt beer made just for them. We really enjoyed our visit so it’s clear why it’s been flourishing for over 15 years!
Carrer de Borguny, 2, Ponent, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears
Lorien
A classic, set up in 1990 with its traditional décor, it has an authentic pub come ale house feel, with an extensive range of over 100 beers. There was plenty of live music. A live Jazz band was actually playing at the next table during our visit. For those beer munchies, there were tasty Mallocan sandwiches on offer.
So if your missing your proper pub fix this is the place for you.
Carrer de les Caputxines, 5A, Centre, 07003 Palma, Illes Balears
Gulden Draak Bar
The Belgium brewery of the same name has been brewing, honoring traditional Belgian methods, combining precious hops and unique yeast strains since 1986. Currently, with sites in Prague, Porto, and Palma, the multi-award-winning brewery imports its beers from its brewing facility in Belgium. As you would expect from a Belgian brewery, their beers certainly pack a punch when it comes to strength. They all have that classic Belgium warming aftertaste, a little yeasty and warming in most cases down to the residual sugars from the high ABV of their beers.
During our visit we sampled a couple of their beers
Beers
Gulden Draak 10.5% – Amber in color with woody aromas combined with a vanilla and mild flavor, a classic nightcap beer, especially at 10.5%
Gulden Draak 9000 10.5% – Golden in colour with caramel sweet fruit flavours and hints of dried fruit and that classic Belgium yeasty finish, another big boy to finish the night
Pg. de Mallorca, 32, Centre, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears
Guirigall
Another of Palma’s music and beer shrines this time for Indie music lovers! A great authentic venue with more than 75 beers on offer. The bar itself has a timeless traditional bar feel with a cycling theme running throughout. A real eclectic mix well worth a visit
Costa d’en Brossa, 14A, Centre, 07001 Palma, Illes Balears
Summary
I was delighted with the range and quality of brewery beers available in and around the city. It’s a good cross section of beer styles with the craft style well catered for by Adalt & Velo. Then a more traditional take from Lowther although their Honey beer was exceptional. It was a great beer experience in Tramuntna, although this was more of a bar than a brewery for me. Then something for those Belgian beer lovers in Toutais.
Beer is subjective and depends on your preference, but the best part is that there’s a lot catered to here. For me, Adalt & Velo are the current front runners though in the Palma brewery beer scene.
All in all, there is a fantastic array of options for both venues and the beers available. To satisfy any beer lover, without doubt, this is yet another hidden surprise and string this great city has to its bow.
